Children and young people

Your CCG has adopted, as a top priority, "improving the health and educational attainment for children and young people."

The main challenge of the whole team has been mapping, service by service, where the money is currently spent, where the gaps are and developing plans to re-commission these services.

Our QIPP (quality improvement productivity prevention) priorities are based on patient feedback to GPs and by reference to our local authority partner's priorities. Poverty and deprivation are surprisingly common problems in Suffolk resulting in a lot of health problems. GPs know improving health and wellbeing is more effective when interventions focus on early years and childhood. Educational attainment is a good predictor of health and wellbeing later in life and this will be improved by ensuring that every child in Suffolk has the best start in life. Suffolk is ranked 121st out of 150 Local Authorities for educational attainment at age 16. "Given that Suffolk is relatively affluent, these results are unacceptable". (Raising the Bar June 2012)

Safeguarding

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children – and in particular protecting them from significant harm depends on effective joint working between agencies and professionals that have different roles and expertise. Individual children, especially some of the most vulnerable children and those at greatest risk of suffering harm and social exclusion, will need co-ordinated help from health, education, early years, children’s social care, the voluntary sector and other agencies, including youth justice services. Find out more...

Family Nurse Partnerships

Successful initiation and completion of breastfeeding for at least six months is proven to improve the health and development of the child and contribute to greater educational attainment going forward. Health visitors have a key role in supporting mothers during this period. Evidence from the USA has shown that Family Nurse Partnerships reduce burden on health services and other agencies, and have reduced unwanted subsequent pregnancies.

Asthma

Asthma is the commonest long-term medical condition in childhood.

Suffolk emergency admissions for asthma fall into the second highest rate band in England-295.4, (26-642) per 100,000 (0-17 yrs).

Asthma in children is one of the major reasons for attendance at Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments. A pilot of a Paediatric Asthma discharge process was undertaken in the latter part of 2012 with a number of GP member practices and Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, which saw unnecessary visits to hospital reduce and has helped primary care to work with patients to improve patients’ ability to manage their condition. Work is now taking place to ensure the process is fully embedded.